The material almost as dark as a hole negroEl bird, “sexy,” almost as dark as a hole negroCrean a “solar panel” that works night
What you see now and not what you see. Engineers of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed the material, plus black up to date , ten times darker than any other record. Made of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNT), the coating capture at least 99,995% of any incoming light.
The researchers exhibit the material in an exhibition, which these days is celebrated in the New York Stock exchange with the title “The redemption of the vanity”. The work of art, a collaboration between the team of Brian Wardle, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, and the artist Diemut Strebe, presents a yellow diamond natural 16,78 ct., with an estimated value of us $ 2 billion, covered with new material ultranegro. The gem packed with brilliant shades seem to fade away.
in Addition to its artistic side, Wardle believes that this material may also have practical uses, such as optical instruments that reduce glare not desired to help the space telescopes to detect exoplanets in orbit.
“There are optical applications, and space science to materials very black, and of course, artists have been interested in the black, that dates back much before the Renaissance,” says Wardle. “Our material is ten times more black than any thing that has been reported, but I think the black more black is a target in constant motion. Someone will find a material, more black, and eventually we will understand all the underlying mechanisms, and we will be able to properly design the black final , ” he says.
More black that the Vantablack
The team recognizes that their results are casual. The researchers did not intend to design a material ultra black, but experimenting with ways to grow carbon nanotubes on a conductor of electricity as aluminum, to increase their electrical properties and thermal.
But when you perform your experiments, they were surprised by the color of the material. It was then when they measured their optical properties and they were surprised. The results showed that the material absorbing at least 99,995% of the incoming light from all angles. In other words, reflected 10 times less light than all other materials black excellent, including the so-called Vantablack. If the material contains lumps or ridges, or features of any kind, no matter from which angle it is see, these features would be invisible.
to search For planets
The researchers are not completely sure of the mechanism that contributes to the opacity of the material, but suspect that may have something to do with the combination of aluminum etching, which is somewhat blackened, with the carbon nanotubes. The “forests” of carbon nanotubes can trap and convert the greater part of the incoming light into heat, reflecting very little light back, giving to this material a tone particularly black.
The material has already caused interest in the community aerospace. The astrophysicist and Nobel laureate John Mather, who was not involved in the research, is exploring the possibility of using it as a base for a shadow mass that would protect a space telescope the scattered light.
“optical instruments like cameras and telescopes should delete the glow is not desired, so you can see what you want to see”, says Mather. “Would you like to see an Earth orbiting another star? Because you need something very black… And that black has to be hard to resist the launch of a rocket”.
